Save the last dance
by doc boy
Summary: After being rejected by Cho Chang, Harry decides to invite Hermione to go with him to Yule Ball as friends. But an unexpected development puts their friendship in jeopardy and makes them wonder how they see each other...
1. Chapter 1

Save the last dance

I do not own Harry Potter

When being told he had to find a date for the ball, he froze. He was not very good with women. If he thought battling a dragon would be hard, then asking a girl out for the Yule Ball would be an impossible task. He walked about the school in between classes, trying to ask a girl out but could not find one he could talk to privately. He wanted to ask Cho Chang out but did not have the guts.

It was not long now before the ball and he still didn't have a date. It was during one of his walks that he finally ran into Cho and while the moment was a little awkward, he was still able to ask her out, but unfortunately, she turned him down. He took it well but he could tell she was really, bad about it. Knowing asking her out was out of the question, he returned to the Gryffindor common room, and sat down on the couch. He watched Hermione as she knitted scarfs for the house elves and got an idea. He walked towards her and sat down.

"Hey Hermione."

"Hey Harry what's up?" she said and smiled at him. He blushed slightly.

"Not much. Listen I want to ask you something."

"What?"

"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go the ball with me. As friends."

She smiled warmly.

"Sure. I'd love to."

"Great, then it's a deal." He beamed and she smiled and returned to her knitting. To try to break the silence Harry spoke again.

""How are the scarfs coming along?"

"They're going well. They're going fast too." She smiled with enthusiasm.

"Great." He smiled back.

"Need any help?"

"No, I'm good."

"Okay."

Then he yawned and covered his mouth.

"I think I'm gonna go take a nap. I'll see you later Hermione."

"Sleep well." She said without lifting her head.

"Thanks." He replied and walked up to his room.

One week later, it was Christmas Eve and Harry was very nervous but could not understand why. She was just a friend to him, wasn't she? So why was he getting so worked up about it? No matter how hard he tried, he could not find any answers. From what he could tell, Hermione was anxious too. When the time came, he laced his arm around hers, walked down the stairs with her to the great hall, and along with the other champions, opened the ceremony. When they stood on the dance floor, Hermione whispered to him.

 _"Put your hand on my waist."_

Harry blushed at the intimate contact and could swear he heard a suggestive tone in her voice. When the music started playing, they began to slow dance, as slowly, everyone else joined. Before long, everyone was dancing and was having a sweet, sweet time. At some point during the dance, Hermione was so much in the moment; she rested her head in Harry's chest, which made him blush like mad. But instead of resisting, he held her hand in his one hand, and placed his arm around her with the other. After some time, the two wanted to get some air, so they walked out to the field and sat down by the fountain, without realizing they were holding hands. They leaned backwards and looked up at the sky. Finally, Hermione spoke.

"You're good dancer, Harry." She smiled.

"Thanks. So are you." He said and she smiled again.

"Yeah…" she muttered and they both fell into silence. Hermione did her best to look away from him because she felt awkward by the situation. But after a few seconds, the temptation got too great and she looked at him and he looked at her. Without thinking about what she was doing, she rushed forward, cupped his cheeks, and kissed him squarely on the lips. After releasing him, he stared at her in shock, his face red with blush. Then she realized what she has done and she sighed.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what to say, I was just…" she huffed and got on her feet and ran off.

"Hermione, wait!" he called out after her but she was out of earshot. Before she disappeared among the crowds of people who were outside, he could see her rub her eyes, and knew that she was crying.

"What happened?" he wondered aloud.

Harry just stood there for a few more minutes and then headed back to the castle and into the Gryffindor common room. He lay there in bed, pondering upon the situation trying to make sense out it.

He knew Hermione meant a lot to him and he assumed he meant a lot to her. But did they see each other as just friends, or was it more than that? After she kissed him like that, Harry had a feeling he knew the answer to that one. It was not in Hermione nature to act on instinct like that. There had to be some strong inner drive to make her act like that. He just hoped their friendship wasn't ruined because of this. He started to wonder how she saw him and how he saw her. He began to wonder if it was a good idea to ask her out in the first place. If he hadn't, maybe they would still be friends, cracking jokes and having fun. He would have to talk to her about it tomorrow.

Gosh, he thought. Tomorrow is Christmas. What a terrible time it is to fight with your friends. He hoped he would be able to make up with her soon. He didn't want them to spend their holydays when they're in the middle of a fight. He sighed deeply, turned around, and went to sleep.

To be continued…

So, it's been a while since I published a multi chapter story, at least for Harry Potter. This story was originally intended to be a one shot, but I decided to extend it. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it.

If you would kindly leave a review below, I would greatly appreciate it.

Peace out everyone…


	2. Chapter 2 dream upon reflection

Chapter 2 dream upon reflection

Harry knew he was prone to having weird dreams in life, but he never saw this coming. That night, he dreamt that he and Hermione were in Transfiguration class with Professor McGonagall and he and Hermione were holding hands under the table. Suddenly the stern faced Professor noticed them and smiled.

"Well it's about time you two got together."

Ash frowned.

"Sorry?"

"You and Miss Granger. You finally started dating."

Ash didn't understand how she knew about it.

"How?..." he began.

The teacher turned to the class.

"Everyone please congratulate the new couple," she declared and everyone gave them their best wishes. After Seamus and Dean gave him a clap on the back and a high five, things got a little creepy. Before he knew it, he was smooching with Hermione and they were wearing wedding uniforms. Then they were lying in bed as a couple. Then he woke up with a start. He sat up in bed, panting. He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, grabbed his robe, and went back down to the common room. Luckily, the fire in the fireplace was still lit and he sat close to it trying to warm himself up. He sighed, as he let the silence and warmth consume him. Before long, somebody spoke.

"Mr. Potter. It's been a while." Harry looked to his side to find a familiar face.

"Dobby." He said.

"Yes. I hope Master Potter is not having trouble sleeping." said the elf and approached the boy. Harry shook his head from side to side.

"A little bit."

"Does Master Potter want to talk about his troubles?" asked the little critter and Harry smiled.

"Sure. Hop on." He said and Dobby hopped onto the sofa.

"What's troubling you Master Potter?"

Harry sighed.

"You know my friend Hermione Granger?"

"Of course. Miss Granger has set free many of the castle's elves. They are eternally grateful to her." Smiled the elf, a smile that Harry shared.

"That's good to hear."

"Did Mister Potter have a fight with Miss Granger?"

Harry sighed again.

"Kind of. Since our first year here at Hogwarts, we've been close friends and we saw each other as mostly friends. But for the Yule Ball last night, I asked her to come with me to the dance. At first, it was nice, but then we went outside to get some air and… we kissed. To be more accurate she kissed me and seemed to do it on instinct but then she ran off. After that, I came back here, went to sleep, and dreamt that we were a couple. I just don't know what to make of it. I know I like her a lot, I always have. Whenever I'm around her I feel happy and fulfilled; as if we complete each other, but now this whole situation has me all confused. You see what I mean?"

"Dobby understand sir, but if I can say so sir, I don't know how it is for humans but for house elves, such feelings are known as feelings of love and appreciation. Ones reserved for the one your heart desires." Dobby said as Harry listened and then smiled. He reached out his hand and rubbed Dobby behind the ears.

"Thanks Dobby." He said and thanked him for his wise insight.

"Dobby is happy he was able to aid Master Potter in his troubles. Dobby hopes things will be alright with him and his friends."

"Thanks buddy." Harry smiled.

"Anything sir." said the elf as he hopped off the couch tidied up a bit and left the common room. Harry continued to stare at the fire for a while, until he heard footsteps. Judging by their pace, he could tell it was Hermione. He could hear her sit down next to him on the couch. They sat together in silence, until Harry spoke.

"Can't sleep?"

"No. I've thinking a lot about what happened earlier. I stayed up half the night thinking about it. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamt that you and I were in Transfiguration class and Professor McGonagall found out that we're a couple and made everyone congratulate us. Then I dreamt that you and I got married and shared a bed as a married couple. Does that seem weird to you?"

After a moment of silence, Harry answered.

"If you think about it, it's not so weird at all. In all honesty, I had the same dream. That's why I'm down here."

Hermione sighed.

"So I guess I'm not the only one who's troubled by what happened last night."

Harry shrugged.

"It's not your fault. You acted on instinct. What happened has happened."

Hermione glared at him.

"Is that your way of saying you're mad at me for what happened and you don't want us to be friends anymore?"

"No. I'm saying what's done is done and there's no sense in mellowing over it."

Hermione sighed.

"I'm sorry I kissed you liked that Harry. It's just that, when I'm with you, I feel so happy and fulfilled. As if, we complete each other. At the time it seemed like the perfect thing to do, but we're friends and I want us to be more than friends, but I don't know if you feel the same wa…"

"Hermione?" he said.

"Harry?"

"Stop talking." He said and kissed her tenderly on the lips. He placed his hand on her palm, which rested on her knee. Once parted, he looked at her and said

"I love you too." he smiled as he looked at her. Hermione sighed happily and kissed him once again on the lips and sighed again as she rested her head on his shoulder as they sat in front of the fire as it continued to pop, while the snow began to fall, and Dobby came in to deliver their Christmas presents, and wrapped a blanket around the young couple…

The end…

Well there it is. I have to admit this is not how I originally planned it out but I got the idea of putting Dobby in so I thought 'why not'. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it and that the dream thing was not too weird...

Reviews are most welcome…

See you next time…

Peace out…


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